Page 46 of Alpha's Hated Mate

I give him a nod. Message received.

He adds, “Come on, Yarra. We need to discuss some pressing matters with the nurse and receptionist. That ought to take about five, ten minutes, don’t you think?”

She nods brightly, her purple hair swishing against her face. “Right.” She squeezes my hand. “Good luck, Alpha Aydan. Take care of my best friend.”

As Chad and Yarra’s voices fade down the hallway, I ease myself off the bed, gritting my teeth against the stabbing pain in my ribs. The cold tile floor sends a shock through my bare feet.Damn, this flimsy gown leaves nothing to the imagination.

Pressing my ear against the door, I listen for any movement outside. When I hear nothing but distant chatter from the direction Chad and Yarra went, I crack it open and peer into the empty hallway.

My muscles protest with each step as I creep toward the back stairs. The gown flutters around my thighs, making me hyper-aware of how exposed I am. But modesty isn’t exactly my biggest concern right now.

A nurse’s voice echoes from around the corner. I duck into an alcove, holding my breath as footsteps pass by. Once they fade, I slip through the stairwell door.

The stairs stretch below me like a concrete spiral. Each step sends fresh waves of pain through my body, but I force myself to keep moving.Saffron and Nadia need me. Nothing else matters.

My hand trembles against the railing as sweat beads on my forehead. The injuries are worse than I want to admit, but I can’twaste time recovering in bed while that creature is out there with them.

I reach the service entrance, pausing to catch my breath. Through the small window, I can see the edge of the forbidden woods looming in the distance. Somewhere in those dark trees, my Luna and my sister are waiting for me.

I’m coming for you both. Even if that thing really is what’s left of my father . . . I’ll do whatever it takes to end this.

Chapter Twenty—Saffron

The caw pierces the darkness . . . sharp and insistent. My tiny lungs fill with air, and I cry out instinctively.Where am I? Where is she?

I’m surrounded by blackness. Cold earth beneath me, rough wood above. Only the thinnest slice of daylight filters through a crack, painting a golden line across my swaddled body. The raven calls again, closer now.

My heart pounds. So small. So afraid. I wail louder, my cries echoing in this wooden prison.

Voices. Muffled but familiar somehow. I cry again, desperate now. Footsteps vibrate through the ground beneath me.

“Did you hear that?” A woman’s voice, concerned. “It’s coming from under the porch.”

Suddenly, blinding light floods in as the wooden board shifts away. I blink, disoriented. Two faces peer down at me, mouths open in shock.

“Goddess above . . . it’s a baby!”

Strong, gentle hands lift me from my hiding place. The woman cradles me against her chest, her heartbeat steadying my panic.

“Where did she come from? Who would leave a child here?”

“What in the world?” A man says. He calls out into the forest. “Hello? Is anyone out there? Is she hurt?”

The woman inspects me. “I don’t think so.”

Their faces . . . I know them. They’re the ones who raised me. My grandparents . . . who weren’t my grandparents at all.

“Let’s get her inside,” Grandma says.

The house behind them, blue trim with pink flowering bushes. I know this place well . . . It’s my grandparents’ house, where I grew up.

My heart hurts. I played on this porch—on these steps—never knowing this is where Natasha hid me . . . before running away to sacrifice herself. Natasha was my mother.

“My love,” I hear her voice. “Live for me.”

Just like the darkness that swallowed me, I open my eyes to blackness.

Natasha of Hino was my mother. I can’t move. I can barely breathe. She died saving me . . . from that giant blood-red wolf. It looked the same as the one that just attacked me and Aydan. She was trying to warn me.

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